The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – According to Wikipedia, mortgage burning parties – once a popular rite of passage – are now considered a "gauche" form of bragging, since such payoffs are so rare these days. That said, the Waitsburg Ambulance Service is happy to "brag" that, with the help of the Waitsburg Lions Club, they now own their building on Preston Avenue free and clear.

The Waitsburg Ambulance Service (WAS) – a nonprofit 501c3 dependent largely on volunteer effort – was organized in 1970 and just celebrated its 45th anniversary. Typically "one-of-a-kind," WAS is the last volunteer, nonprofit, charitable pre-hospitable emergency transport service in Washington state. A dedicated board, loyal volunteers and a supportive and generous community have helped keep the service operational through the years.

WAS was founded on a shoestring budget with an initial treasury amount of $0.00 and leased a "cantankerous" 1958 Chevy station wagon from Columbia County for $30 a month during its first two years of service. Donations, memorials and a successful subscription program (which provides ambulance service at no charge to members) drove up the bank balance, and, in 1973, the board purchased a brand new Stoner Western ambulance for $11,600. That ambulance was financed for two years, but generous donations from the community and a final payoff check from Green Giant for $1,500 allowed WAS to pay off the loan in just four months.

Previously located on Main Street, WAS purchased its current building at 765 Preston Avenue from Jim and Denise Wood in 2008 for $140,000. They sold the Main Street building to the fire department and used the $40,000 in proceeds from the sale for the down payment ($30,000) and remodeling ($10,000) of the new space. WAS has been making payments on the building since, but a payoff check for $2,080.71 from the Waitsburg Lions Club has erased that debt from the books.

Waitsburg Lions Club President Brian Richards said the club was glad to help. "We were looking for meaningful community service projects, and Jack McCaw proposed that we help out the ambulance service, and we were happy to do so. Our club is committed to do something meaningful for the community – not just on an annual basis, but as a part of our ongoing mission," said Richards.

Jack Otterson, who has served as WAS president for a total of 31 years, says WAS is a vital part of the community. "We are very proud of the Waitsburg Ambulance Service and the volunteers that keep it going," he said. Three members from the original board –Otterson, Dr. Roger Hevel, and Joan Hays – still sit on the board today. The WAS current board of directors includes: Otterson, president (31 years); Jack McCaw, vice-president (four years); Hays, secretary (45 years), and members Patty Loosmore, Bill Hinchliffe, Jim Leid, Nancy Otterson and Hevel.

"The Waitsburg Lions Club is always doing wonderful things for Waitsburg, and this is just one more thing. We're a volunteer service, and every little bit helps. We took the check to Baker Boyer last week, and it's a done deal," said Nancy Otterson. "When I tried to thank the Lions Club, Brian (Richards) said, 'That's just part of living in Waitsburg.'"